Car-fender



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1..

W. WEAVER. GAR FENDER.

No.5'79,3'72. Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. WEAVER. GAR FENDER.

No. 579,372 Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Shet 3.

W. WEAVER. OAR FENDER.

No. 579,372. Patented Mar. 23. 1897.

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(No Model) 4 Sheebs-Sheet 4.

W. WEAVER.

GAR FENDER. No. 579,372. Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

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\VILLIAMWVEAVER, OF NORVVALK, CONNECTICUT.

CAR-TENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,372, dated March23, 1897.

A li ti fil d August 9,1895. $erial No, 558,763. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, WILLIAM \VEAVER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Norwalk, in the county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in CarFenders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in fenders for street-cars,adapted more particularly for use on those cars or vehicles propelled byelectricity, cables, or other than horse-power, and having for itsobject to pro vide a comparatively simple, durable, and effective devicefor preventing injury and loss of life.

.With these objects in view the invention consists in the novel detailsof construction and arrangement of the parts hereinafter more fullydescribed, whereby the objects of the invention are attained.

111 the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which like letters and numerals of reference indicate correspondingparts, Figure .1 is a perspective view of a car, showingmy inventionapplied thereto and occupying its normal position. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the fender in its normal position, the projected positionof the fender being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is an invertedplan view of a car-body with the fender applied thereto. Fig. 4: is aside elevation of a car with the fender out of position for use. Fig. 5is a detail side elevation of the operating devices of the fender, partsbeing broken away and in section. Fig. 6 is a detail View of the frontfender-bar. Fig. 7 is a detail view of a modification. Fig. Sis asimilar view on a reduced scale, showing the whole of the core of thesolenoid.

Referring to the drawings, A denotes the body of a car of suitableconstruction provided with the usual platforms 1, dashboards 2, buffers3, truck 4, and couplers 5.

B is the fender-frame, comprising the parallel side bars 6 6 and thetransverse front bar 7. The side bars 6 are connected to and supportedupon a shaft 0, journaled in brackets 8 of a frame D and extending transversely across and beneath the car-body. Supported upon the ends of thefront bar 7 are friction-wheels 9, adapted to make contact with and runupon the rails of the'car track when the fender-frame is in its loweredposition. Arranged intermediate of these friction-wheels is a roller 12,journaled upon the front bar of the fender-frame. Inclosed within saidroller and connected thereto and to the front bar 7 at opposite ends isa spring 10, adapted to exert a tension upon and rotate the roller.Connected to the roller in any suitable manner, as, for instance, bymeans of hooks, is an apron 13, which may be in the form of a net wovenof suitable material, or, if preferred, it may be in the form of a sheetof canvas or other similar flexible material. The opposite end of thisapron is attached to a rod 14c, constructed to conform to the contour ofthe dashboard 2 and adapted to be received and supported in brackets 15on the dashboard. The apron may of course be attached to both thedashboard and roller in any other desirable manner, but I prefer themeans shown, as it permits the ready attachment to or removal of theapron from the fender-frame or car-body.

lVhatever may be the position assumed by the fender, the apron 13 isnever permitted to be slack, such slack as exists from time to time byreason of the variation of the position of the fender being taken up bythe spring roller 12. The apron 13 is never wholly unwound from thisroller, and consequently when an object falls upon the apron the portionof the apron remaining upon the roller is caused to unwind therefrom andhang loosely between the dashboard and the front bar of the fender tobring the object which has fallen upon the apron in. the same or belowthe horizontal plane of the roller and thereby prevent it rolling offthe fender upon the track.

The frame D is supported beneath the carbody A and is adapted to slidein suitable guides E. These guides, as shown, consist of parallel barsextending longitudinally of the car-body from the front end thereof to apoint adjacent the truck, and said bars are provided with dovetailedgrooves 17, which receive corresponding projections 18 of the frame D.Extending transversely through the guide bars and projections 18 areopenings 19, into which a pin 20 is inserted to hold the frame in theirrearward position.

13 against movement. As shown, only two openings 19 are formed in theguide-bars, located centrally and at the rear ends thereof,respectively, but any number of such openings may be employed to suitthe position to which it is desired to adjust the frame D.

The shaft 0 is provided with crank-arms 21, to the ends of which thefender-bars 6 are pivotally secured. A spring 22 is also arranged uponthe shaft 0 and is connected to said shaft and to alug of the frame D insuch manner as to rotate the shaft and throw the crank-arms 21 towardthe front of the car. The forward movement of these crank-arms islimited by means of a stop 23, with which they make contact after theirends have reached a horizontal plane higher than that of the axis oftheir supporting-sh aft 0. hen the crank-arms have once assumed thisposition, it is impossible to move them in the opposite direction exceptby rotating the shaft O. This may be accomplished in numerous ways. Asshown, however, the end of the shaft C is formed for the reception ofacrank, which may be fitted thereto and removed at the pleasure of theoperator.

One of the crankarms 21 is provided with a shoulder 24, which isarranged to be engaged by a pawl 25 when said arms are moved rearwardly.This pawl is pivoted in lugs 26, extending from the car-body, and isconnected at its rear end to a lever 27 by means of a link 28. Thelevcr27 is likewise pivoted near its forward end to a lug on the car-bod yand at its extreme forward end is adapted to be engaged by the shank ofa button 28, which extends through the platform of the car and is guidedin an opening 2.). The pivotal points of the lever 27 and pawl 25 are soarranged that their rear ends overbalance their forward ends, andwhenever the pawl is released its forward end is thrown upward.

lVhenever it is desired to set the fender to its normal position, theshaft C is rotated to move the erank-arms 21 rearwardly and the pawl 25is thrown into contact with the shoulder 24 of said arms, where it isheld by frictional contact, thereby locking the crank-arms Vhen thefront bar of the fender comes in contact with an obstruction, thecrank-arms, in consequence of the sudden impact, are caused to moverearwardly for a short distance, which has the effect of relieving thepawl of all pressure and permits its forward end to be thrown upward outof contact with the shoulder 24. As soon as the pawl becomes disengagedthe shaft C is rotated by the spring 22 and the crank-arms are movedrapidly to their forward positions, causing the front end of the fenderto shoot forward and to be simultaneously lowered upon the track.

Projecting from beneath the car-body A at a point intermediate the shaft0 and the end of the car are guiding-frames 29, arms 80 of which extendbeneath the side bars 6 of the fender. These guiding-frames are soarranged that when the crank-arms 21 are in their rearward positions theside bars of the fender are drawn upon the arms 30 su fficiently toelevate the front of the fender a short distance above the track, asshown in Fig. 2. \Vhen these crank-arms assume their forward position,however, the pivotal points of the fender-frame are moved nearer theguidingframes and are elevated to a higher horizontal plane, andconsequently the front of the fender-frame is lowered upon the track.

\Vhenever it is desired to throw the fender out of operation, the pin 20is withdrawn from engagement with the front opening 19 and the frame Dis moved rearwardly on the guides E to a point adjacent to the truck ofthe car, where it is held. by inserting the said pin in another openingnear the end of the guide, as sh own in Fig. 4. This rearward movementof the frame D causes the front of the fender to be elevated by theguiding-frame 29, and when fully retracted the front bar of the fenderis in substantially the same vertical plane as the dashboard of the car.Of course it will be understood that as the fender is moved rearwardlythe apron 13 is wound upon the roller 12 and all slack is taken up. Therod 14 is then unwound from the brackets 15 on the dashboard and placedin similar brackets 40 011 the side bars 6 of the fender, as indicatedin dotted lines, Fig. at, in order that the apron 18 will not be visibleand mar the appearance of the car. If desired, however, the apron maybeleft connected to the front of the dashboard, as shown in full lines,Fig. 4, and the car coupled to a trailer by inserting the coupling linkor jaw of the coupler through an opening 50, formed in the apron 13 inposition to aline with the coupler 5.

In some instances it may be desirable to fit a car with only one fender,in which case the fender would have to be fitted to opposite ends of thecar, according to the direction in which it is traveling. This may bereadily accomplished by detaching the rod 14 from the dashboard andsliding the frame D out the front ends of the guides at one end of thecar and inserting it in the guides E at the opposite end of the car.

Various means may be employed for throwing the fender forward when itmakes contact with an object upon the track. In cars propelled byelectricity this may be effected by making use of a solenoid 60. (SeeFig. 5.) The core of this solenoid is provided with a rack-bar 61, whichengages a pinion 62 on the shaft O and rotates it whenever the core isthrown outward by the passage of a current through the coil (33. Thiscurrent comes from the same source which supplies the car, and thecircuit to the coil 63 is normally closed by a switch Get, provided withan L-shaped centrally-pivoted armature (55, which alternately engagescontacts 66 67. The armature,however, normally rests in engagement withthe contact 67. The rear end of the crank-arm 21 is provided with afinger 68, which when ICO the crank-arm is lifted strikes an arm of thearmature and moves it from engagement with r the contact 67 to thecontact 66, therebybreaking the circuit to the motor and opening it tothe coil of the solenoid. This latter circuit remains open until thecrank-arm reaches its extreme forward position, where it contacts withone end of a pivoted lever 69, connected by means of a link to an arm ofthe armature, and throws the armature back into engagement with thecontact 67, thereby breaking the circuit to the coil and opening that tothe motor. Of course it will be understood that in this construction thesolenoid constitutes the sole means for throwing the fender-frameforward, the spring 22 (shown in Fig. 5) being dispensed with.

Without limiting myself to the exact construction and arrangement of theparts hereinbefore described, I claim- 1. In a car-fender thecombination with a car-body having guides thereon, of a supporting-frameadapted to travel in said guides, means for holding said frame ina fixedposition at different points along said guides, a fender and itsoperating means supported upon the frame, said operating means beingadapted to project or retract the fender independently of thesupporting-frame, substantially as described.

2. In a car-fender, the combination with a carbody, of an oscillatingshaft supported thereon, crank-arms on the shaft, a fenderframepivotally connected to the crank-arms, said arms being normally held ina position rearwardly of the vertical plane of the axis of theoscillating shaft and below the horizontal plane thereof,electrically-operated means for effecting a part revolution of the shaftto carry the crank-arms to a position in advance of the vertical planeof the axis of the oscillating shaft and above the horizontal planethereof, a stop for arresting the move ment of the shaft when thecrank-arms are in their forward position, means for locking the shaftwhen said arms are in their normally-retracted posit-ion, and means forrcleasing said locking devices, substantially as described.

3. In a car-fender, the combination with a car-body, of a fender-framesupported thereon andadapted to move in the direction of the line ofmovement of the car, means for normally locking the fender-frame in itsretracted position, said means being adapted to be released by impact,and electrically-operated means for moving the fender to its forwardposition when it is released from its looking means, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a car-fender, the combination with a car-body, of a fender-framesupported thereon, and adapted to move in the direction of the line ofmovement of the car, means for normally lockin g the fender-frame in itsretracted position, electrically-operated means for moving thefender-frame to its forward position, and means actuated by the impactof a body with the fender-frame for releasing its locking devices andfor directing an elec tric current to its moving means, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a car fender, the combination with a car-body, of an electricmotor for propelling the same, a fender-frame supported on the car-bodyand adapted to move in the direction of the line of movement of the car,means for normally locking the fender-frame in its retracted position,devices for normally directing an electric current to thepropellingmotor of the car, electrically-operated means for moving thefender-frame to its forward position, and means actuated by the impactof a body with the fender-frame for releasing 7 its locking means andfor breaking the circuit to the propelling-motor and opening that to thefender-frame-projecting means, sub stantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM WEAVER.

Witnesses:

PAUL W. STEVENS, W. CLARENCE DUVALL.

